


hold onto this lullaby

by elinciacrimea



Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Canon Compliant, Character Study, Family, Fluff & Angst, Found Family, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Radiant Dawn Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-09-30 17:13:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20450666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elinciacrimea/pseuds/elinciacrimea
Summary: "I'll change things. I will be the best empress Begnion has ever seen.""If you are willing to work for it, Empress Sanaki, then certainly you shall be.""I'll do my very best." Sanaki's eyes blaze. "I'll make you proud of me. I promise, Sephiran."Prime Minister Sephiran, Apostle Sanaki, the lessons he taught her, and what she in turn taught him.





	hold onto this lullaby

**Author's Note:**

> More Tellius! Another fic that I've been working on awhile and just finished up.
> 
> Kind of goes without saying, but SPOILERS for the ending of Radiant Dawn and Sephiran's identity/backstory. Also kind of goes without saying, but warning for suicidal ideation.

Mainal Cathedral gleams as radiant as ever, a pillar against the blue skies that soar over Begnion. The palace generations upon generations of apostles once called home, an ancient relic, a treasure just as valuable as those housed within it. Of course, it is all after Sephiran's time, he thinks as he sweeps through the front doors with nods to the assembled guards, but he's become quite familiar with it over the years. All of those esteemed apostles are long gone, of course, most never even knowing his name, and Begnion herself has changed, no longer the land he once called his home. Still, since its construction, Mainal Cathedral has always shone in the sky, looking precisely the same as when it was first christened.

And today, within that pristine cathedral, a monster is being tamed.

"Ever since the tragic loss of Prince Elisha and his wife a few months back, she's been...difficult. And now that we're trying to involve her in politics, it's gotten far worse. She's entirely inconsolable."

The little girl lies on the floor in the middle of the meeting room, bawling. Her ruffled dress is sodden from her tears, her small hands curled into tight fists, her violet hair a tangled mess. Every so often her screams will halt as she runs out of air, she'll struggle and pant for a few moments, and then resume her litany, face red and angry.

"As you can see, Duke Persis," says Lekain, his lip curling with disgust as he watches the scene, "things aren't going well. This has been the situation every single time we try and involve her in the official proceedings. She lashes out at anyone who comes close."

"The brat pinched me," a senator scowls. 

"She _bit _me!” another moans. “I was only being nice! I have grandchildren, you know!"

_ And most likely pay them to put up with you, _ Sephiran thinks.

"She won't even let her governess near anymore!" a third adds.

"We can't have her crowned," Lekain continues. "We can't do a thing with her. And I thought her father was difficult - "

Sanaki suddenly stills, red eyes focusing on Lekain. "Daddy? Where's Daddy?"

"We have been over this, Your Highness," Lekain says. "Your father is gone."

"No!" Sanaki wails, tiny face screwing up with grief. "No, I want Mama and Daddy! Where are they? Bring them back! Bring them back NOW!" She devolves into more wordless screaming.

Lekain throws up his hands in exasperation. "You see what I mean? Quite frankly, I've no idea what to do. The people will riot if this girl isn't crowned. Yet however are we to crown her if this behavior doesn't cease?"

"I understand," says Sephiran, lifting his voice to be heard over the princess’s anguish. "A difficult situation, indeed."

Lekain sighs, shaking his head. “Truly.”

"If it would be of any help, might I see what I can do?" Sephiran offers.

Lekain lifts a brow. "Do you have experience with children, Sephiran?"

"Very little," Sephiran says, truthfully (he never held his own.) "But I'm willing to try, regardless."

"Very well, but she is a feisty one," says Lekain, looking as though he's about to offer a fresh steak to a lion. "Do be cautious."

Sephiran smiles blandly and then picks his way across the council room to the prone princess. She takes no notice of him, now pounding small fists on the tile floor.

"My lady?" Sephiran kneels down next to her.

Bleary golden eyes focus on him through a curtain of disheveled purple bangs. "Who're you?"

"My name is Sephiran," he lies easily. "And you are?"

There's a scoff from a nearby senator, but the girl answers in a hoarse voice. "Sanaki. 'M Sanaki."

"It's nice to meet you, my little lady Sanaki."

She squints at him, as if sizing him up. Tears are still leaking steadily down her face. She has none of his features, none of Altina's save the violet hair, and that lack of resemblance makes it all far easier for him, easier to crush down all the guilt and grief and longing. This is just a girl, just a little girl with no particular connection to him at all, other than being the one he is newly sworn to serve.

"I'm rather new to this business of being a senator," Sephiran continues. "In fact, I haven't spent much time in Mainal Cathedral at all. I wondered if you might help me?"

"Help…?" Sanaki sniffles, pulling herself into a sitting position.

"Yes. I'm afraid I'll get lost in this big palace without any help from strong, brave young ladies."

"Strong and brave…" Sanaki sniffles again, rubbing her nose. “Me?”

“Well, I see no others about.”

Sanaki considers for a moment. The room holds its breath.

"O...okay," the child says at last. "I'll help you. Daddy said...Daddy said it was my duty to help people. 'Cause I'm a princess."

"That's quite right, Lady Sanaki."

"I miss him…and Mama..."

"I know."

Sanaki nods, staring at the floor. There are purple bags under her eyes.

"You look tired, my lady."

"Yeah, tired…" Sanaki whispers, scrubbing at her eyes as fresh tears begin. "I can't sleep anymore...not without...Mama and Daddy…"

"I'm sorry, my lady. I know that must be hard."

"It is!" Sanaki hiccups. "Everyone says...I need to stop crying, and be a lady, but...but I'm all alone! And I'm sad!"

"It's okay to be sad. Everyone's sad sometimes."

Sanaki shoves her bangs out of her face with the palm of her hand. "Did you...want me to show you the castle?"

"If you'd like to, my little lady."

"Okay…" Sanaki frowns. "Only I'm really tired…"

"I can carry you, if you wish."

"Hmm…" Sanaki looks deep in thought. Sephiran can hear the senators muttering to one another. "Okay. I'm a little big to be carried, but…"

"I don't mind." Sephiran opens his arms. Sanaki ponders for a moment, and then crawls forward and climbs up into them. He hoists her onto his shoulder as he stands.

"Woah." Sanaki's reddened eyes are wide as she looks around the room. Her tears have stopped completely. "You're so tall!"

Sephiran laughs. "I suppose I am."

"Really tall," Sanaki repeats, shifting in his arms as she takes in the new perspective. "Wow! It's like a mountain! How'd you get so tall, Sephiran?"

"I'm not certain, my little lady. I suppose I just grew this way."

Sanaki laughs, and Sephiran sees jaws drop open in shock. "You're funny, Sephiran."

"Thank you, Lady Sanaki. Now, where shall we go first?"

"Mmmm…" Sanaki rests a finger against her chin, a gesture much like her father's. "The entry hall! That's where we meet guests, so it's a good start!"

"Right. Which way is it?" Sephiran asks, as if he doesn't know even that.

"That door there!" Sanaki points. "And then down the hall!"

"Very well. Let's be off, then, Lady Sanaki." Sephiran sets off across the room, princess in hand. "You're a good helper."

Sanaki beams with pride. "Thank you! Daddy said it was important to help. After this I'll show you the dining hall! And the library, and my room, and the palace balcony…"

"However did you manage this miracle, Duke Persis?" Lekain murmurs under his breath as they pass him.

Sephiran shrugs with his free shoulder. "Perhaps it is merely good fortune."

\---

The coronation of Apostle Sanaki brings with it a new prime minister.

Sephiran himself is rather flabbergasted by how quickly events have gone. But the princess fights and struggles against aid from any other, only cooperates and smiles if he is seated at her side or carrying her, and so the Senate unanimously declares their youngest member as their head representative and the apostle's right hand. There hasn't been a prime minister since Misaha's elderly assistant retired a few years before, and a flurry of excitement and controversy has begun at the unconventional selection.

Sephiran had expected taking power in Begnion, creating a rift that would smolder into war, would be far harder. And yet, here it is, handed to him on a crystal platter by a child who has yet to lose her first tooth.

"So many people," Princess, almost Apostle, Sanaki whispers as she looks nervously around, fiddling with the fringes of her new ceremonial robes. "Outside and inside too…"

"You'll do splendidly, my little lady," says Sephiran. "And I'll be right at your side." Sanaki had refused to even be coronated unless he was holding her hand for the entire walk down the hall, and the senators had relented in a burst of exasperation.

"Mmm…" Sanaki reaches for his hand. "Sephiran? Do you think I'll...I'll do a good job? I'll be a good empress?"

"I think you'll do a wonderful job," says Sephiran. "And I'll be right there to help you, and your Holy Guards will be protecting you. There's nothing to fear."

"I'm really little, though," says Sanaki, gold eyes wide and fearful. "I don't know how to be an empress…"

"It's all right. I'll teach you, and so will everyone else here." Sephiran squeezes her hand. "Don't be afraid. As long as you work hard, and are eager to learn...you'll be a strong empress."

Sanaki nods, eyes fixed on the ground.

A bell rings out through the entrance chamber, and Sanaki startles, robes rustling.

"There's our cue, my lady," says Sephiran. "Are you ready?"

"O...okay." Sanaki takes a deep breath, and then the footmen push open the doors, and they walk down the cathedral hall. Sanaki trips several times, struggling with the trailing hem of her cape, and Sephiran makes a mental note to get it adjusted as he helps her along. It's a long, stuttering path, but eventually, they reach the altar, and after all the years of strife, a new apostle is crowned.

The crown is far too big for her, sloping down her head despite the royal attendants' best efforts to line it with wool. Still, as Sanaki turns to face the gathered nobles, the room erupts with applause. Sephiran catches both grins of satisfaction and solemn, worried gazes among the senators.

"Ummm…" Sanaki's tiny voice echoes in the cathedral, and the room is immediately silent. "Um...thank you for helping me. I'll, um...as the 37th empress, I'll do my best, like my grandmother, and like my daddy. Thank you."

The crown is whisked away again as soon as Sanaki has stood once more, back to its safe hiding place in the treasure chamber, and Sanaki tugs on Sephiran's sleeve. "Sephiran? Now what?"

"Now it's time for you to greet your people, Apostle."

"Greet my people…" Sanaki closes her eyes. "Daddy and Mama used to do that."

"Yes, they did. As did your lady grandmother, and all before her."

"Apostle…" Sanaki murmurs. "I'm the apostle."

"You are."

"I'm a little scared," Sanaki mumbles. "Is that okay?"

"It is," says Sephiran. "But it's something we must keep secret."

"Why?"

"Your people want to see you being brave, and smiling. That is a sight that will inspire and guide them. Can you do that for me, my lady?"

Sanaki nods. "I...I'll try."

"That's good. Right this way to the balcony, my lady."

Sanaki screws up her eyes as they step out onto the palace balcony, dazzled by the sun. Murmurs rumble through the crowd as Sanaki and Sephiran approach the railing, hand in hand, and come to a stop before it.

"Sephiran?" Sanaki asks. "I can't see…" The railing is firmly over her head.

"Yes, I suppose the people can't see you, either," says Sephiran. "Shall I carry you?"

"Please do," says the little girl stiffly, and Sephiran scoops her up, balancing the robe-wrapped figure on his hip. At the sight of her, a gasp runs through the crowd, the chatter picking up as people catch their first glimpse of the new ruler of Begnion.

"Wave, my lady," says Sephiran lowly to her. "They will be happy to see you greet them."

Sanaki lifts a small arm from the folds of her robes, and waves. The crowd cheers in response, and even from this distance, Sephiran can feel their jubilation, a sharp wave rising up and cresting. Emboldened, Sanaki continues to wave, and the chorus of excitement grows with her every move, a cacophony of celebration.

"My," Lekain murmurs, behind them, "the young apostle is already so popular."

"Far better than we could have anticipated," mutters another senator.

Sephiran doesn't answer their barbs, but he cannot stop the thought passing through his treacherous mind.

_ All according to plan. _

\---

There's a soft knock at his bedroom door. "Prime...Prime Minister?"

Sephiran sits up in bed. "Yes?"

"It's...I'm so terribly sorry to disturb you at this late hour," whispers the voice. "But it's...it's the apostle, I'm afraid."

"Has some ill befallen her?"

"No, I don't think so, but…"

"You are her governess, are you not?"

"Yes. She awoke from a nightmare, I believe, and...and she has been weeping for nearly two hours." The voice sighs. "I cannot console her, and she mentioned you, so I supposed...I'm terribly sorry. I know it's below your station…"

Sephiran slips out of bed, reaching for his robe. "It is no trouble. I'm happy to assist."

"Thank you very much, my lord."

Sephiran checks briefly to ensure the elaborate spell that hides his wings is still intact (and it is, always has been even in sleep, he has only lost control once in centuries, but it wouldn't do to let it slip now) before he steps into the hall. The governess is wringing her hands together as she follows him to Sanaki's quarters.

Within the elaborate, sprawling apartment that is the apostle's private chambers, the bedroom is the crown jewel. But beneath the stained-glass ceiling and marble floor, a disconsolate figure sits huddled in the bedsheets.

"My lady?" Sephiran sits down on the edge of the bed, the governess hovering apologetically by the door.

A tousled head pokes out from the sheets. "...'ephiran?"

"Yes, my lady."

Sanaki shuffles across the bed towards him, hiccuping with sobs, falling heavily against his side and burying her face in his robe. 

Sephiran slips an arm around her. "Whatever is the matter?"

"...had a bad dream…" Sanaki sniffles. "Mama and Daddy...were there...but I called to them, and they wouldn't come back…"

"I see."

"I want them back," Sanaki whispers. "But Mama and Daddy...Mama and Daddy...aren't...aren't…"

"They're not coming," says Sephiran softly, and a fresh storm of crying begins at his words. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" the child demands, red eyes narrowing as she glares up at him. "Why'd they go away? Why'd they die?"

"I don't know." _ The Senate killed them to keep you off the throne, and it backfired on them. _"It was a senseless tragedy."

Sanaki sniffles again. "I don't wanna sleep anymore. 'Cause when I do, I see them, but...they're not really there, and they're mean to me, and...and I hate it…"

"I understand," says Sephiran. "It is difficult to weather the loss of loved ones."

"Did…" Sanaki rubs her eyes. "Did your mama and daddy...die too?"

"...Yes. Very long ago. So did many other people that I loved." Sephiran quickly stops himself. (What about this child causes him to forget?) "But I cannot allow that loss to shape me." (So I thought, until it became too much to bear, and now that loss is all that I am anymore.) "The dead are gone. We must focus instead on the living." (So that they might too join them in sleep, where they belong, where I belong.)

"I know they're not coming back," Sanaki mumbles. "I know. I'm a big girl. I'm...I'm the apostle. I know what dead means. But when I'm sleeping, then I don't know anymore. And it's dark, and cold, and I get scared. I don't like it."

"But you must sleep sometimes, my lady."

"No! No more nightmares!" Sanaki shakes her head violently. "I don't wanna! Even - even the candles don't keep it away! It's too dark!"

"Shh, my little lady." Sephiran runs his hand over her hair. "Perhaps I can aid you in preventing the dark and the cold."

"Can you?"

"Yes. Might you fetch me a lantern, my lady?"

Sanaki eyes him, but obediently gets up and reaches for the one resting on her bedside table. The little flame flickers dully as she places it in his hands.

"Thank you. Now, watch." Sephiran concentrates. It's a highly advanced spell, but for one with centuries of study, it takes only a moment's thought. The flame flickers once more, and then blazes, burning with a brilliant light that shines through the ironwork of the lantern's walls.

"Magic fire?" Sanaki asks. "Won't it go out, too?"

"Not this fire," says Sephiran. "That candle will never burn down."

Sanaki accepts the lantern, clutching the holster in trembling hands. "Really?"

"Really."

Sanaki studies the fire. "That's...that's amazing."

"Thank you, my little lady."

"Sephiran...will you teach me magic?" Sanaki looks up at him, her gold eyes glowing orange in the blazing candlelight. "They say I'm not old enough yet...but I can do it. I know I can! My grandmother could, they say. And so could my daddy."

"It's awfully late right now, my lady. But perhaps in the morning...we can discuss magic lessons, yes."

"Okay...thank you." Sanaki sets the lantern back on the end table with reverent hands, yawning.

"But for now, my lady...you must sleep," says Sephiran gently.

"'M scared," Sanaki mumbles, looking at the lantern.

"You needn't be. All will be well when you awake, and that candle will burn still. I promise." Sephiran guides the overtired child back under the covers with gentle hands. "Rest now. You are exhausted."

"Yeah…" Sanaki yawns, reaching for Sephiran's hand. "Sephiran…?"

"Yes?"

"Can you...sing to me…? Daddy always…sang me to sleep…"

Something cold and hard settles in Sephiran's chest. "I do not sing, Lady Sanaki." (Not anymore.)

"Oh...then…" Sanaki sighs. "I'll sing to you...okay, Sephiran?"

"My lady…"

Sanaki's little voice fills the air, humming a clumsy, off-tune melody, one Sephiran recognizes as a common lullaby sung to Begnion children. And then the small voice trails off again as sleep claims the apostle, head falling to the side to rest against Sephiran's hand.

He watches her there, unable to move, unable to think.

"Thank goodness," comes a faint whisper from the door, and Sephiran is jerked back to the present moment, head snapping up to see Sanaki's governess in the bedroom door. "You truly are a miracle worker, Prime Minister."

"It was no trouble," Sephiran murmurs back, gently prying his hand free of Sanaki's grasp and getting to his feet. "Only my duty."

"It's almost as if you're her family," the governess mumbles as he passes, and he does not respond.

\---

Begnion knows an era of peace over the next few years. While Sanaki's role is largely as a figurehead while the Senate controls the country, the people adore her. She merely has to trot onto the balcony and lift her hand to receive of a chorus of applause and praise, and the Senate is, as a whole, quite pleased with their arrangement.

But Sanaki is sharp, sharper than even Sephiran ever suspected she was. As she adjusts to her life and her position, she grows bolder. While her duty during Senate meetings is merely to sit upon her throne, she begins to speak up.

_ "Wouldn't raising the taxes on the poor make it hard for them to eat? Shouldn't we take money from the rich people instead?" _

_ "I thought Gallia hadn't had any wars with us. Why would we want to send soldiers there?" _

_ "I think King Crimea's nice. He talked to me like I was a real grown-up. We shouldn't be mean to him."_

"Are you the one putting these ideas in her head, Prime Minister?" Lekain grumbles to Sephiran once, who only shrugs in response.

Truth be told, he is and he isn't. He answers her questions as honestly as he can (as honestly as someone like him can ever be) and he allows her to read and learn whatever she wishes. But it is a natural empathy and curiosity that spurs the little apostle forward, despite the concerned and sometimes angry expressions it draws from her Senate.

"I don't think the Senate is always right, Sephiran," says Sanaki one day as they sit in his office, looking at magic tomes. "Lekain says they're big and know best, and I should listen. But sometimes I don't think they're right. Should I listen to grown-ups, even when they're wrong? Even when...even when the things they're doing are bad?"

"Hm…" Sephiran looks at her furrowed brow. "You are very wise to think this way, my little lady Sanaki. It's true. No human being is perfect."

"It's hard, though," Sanaki mumbles. "Saying they're wrong. They're so big and smart…" Sanaki swallows. "Is it right to tell them no?"

"It requires great strength and courage to stand up in the face of injustice. That's what I think, anyway."

"You think that's what a real empress would do?"

"I am certain of it."

"But they don't listen to me...because I'm little. Because I'm not strong enough or big enough."

"I think you are very strong, my lady, in your own way."

"No, you're wrong. I'm not strong yet, Sephiran. But I will be. I'll learn." Sanaki's hands clench on her lap. "I'll change things. I will be the best empress Begnion has ever seen."

"If you are willing to work for it, Empress Sanaki, then certainly you shall be."

"I'll do my very best." Sanaki's eyes blaze. "I'll make you proud of me. I promise, Sephiran."

\---

Apostle Sanaki keeps her promise, and flings herself wholeheartedly into her work. She spends almost every free moment in the library, poring over dictionaries and historical documents and kingdom surveys, and is rarely seen without at least one volume at her side. From diplomacy to battle tactics to government structure, she finishes every lesson her tutors put in front of her, demanding extra credit and further studies until Sephiran is forced to scout out university-level professors to appease her. On the rare occasion when Sanaki's nose isn't in a book or at royal proceedings, she has a tome in hand, studying every (feasible) form of magic under Sephiran's watchful eye (and there are a few mishaps with setting robes aflame, but Sephiran agrees never to speak of them.)

Sanaki books no patronizing or attempts to slow her down, and determination and focus hone her young mind. Political opponents are flabbergasted and caught off-guard by the seven-year-old's sharp gaze and sharper tongue, and with those weapons Sanaki carves herself a place in a court never intended to be hers. By the time the apostle's eighth birthday passes, Sephiran's duties have been reduced considerably as Sanaki proves herself adept at taking over much of the affairs of state, handling even difficult matters with relative ease. She puts her efforts into practice, her grandmother in miniature as she handles the court with an iron fist, either concealed under silk robes and an innocent expression or laid bare with extensive knowledge and powerful wit.

_ So lovely to have an apostle again, _ the Senate simpers, and Sanaki only lifts her chin and demands full truths and respect from them. That they are twice her size and unscrupulous does not faze her, and as her own confidence grows, their snide barbs can no longer pierce her newfound armor.

And still, Sanaki does not relent. With Sephiran providing guidance, a new crackdown begins on laguz slavery, diplomatic relationships improve with Crimea, and laws are passed to give greater rights to the poor. Which each new mandate the Senate's visible discomfort grows, but even as they fight her with every bit of diplomatic power they possess, Sanaki has the support of the people, her charm and bloodline winning them over. Her determination never falters, her goal of true peace and equality ever in sight, and every victory and failure alike gives her further momentum.

It was inevitable, then, that the day would come.

Sanaki enters Sephiran's office without announcing herself, as ever, the door clicking shut behind her as she crosses to his desk.

"My lady," Sephiran greets her (the "little" long dropped for being too childish.) "Is there anything I can help with?"

"I hope so." Sanaki has a book clutched to her chest, and Sephiran cannot see its title. "I have a question for you, Sephiran. I suspect you are the only one who may be willing to answer it."

"If I have an answer, I shall offer it freely."

"Very well." Sanaki perches in the armchair in front of Sephiran's desk. "Sephiran, do you know what became of the heron laguz?"

It feels like a punch to the gut. But Sephiran has spent more years than he can count hiding pain, and not a flicker of expression passes his face. "Whyever do you ask, Apostle?"

"I came across them while reading, and I couldn't fathom that I had never heard of them before," says Sanaki, holding her book a little tighter. "There's the cats, tigers, and lions of Gallia, the hawks of Phoenicis, the ravens of Kilvas, the dragons of Goldoa…but then in this book, there was a section on a bird laguz type I'd never heard mention of before. The herons of Serenes."

"Ah."

"I recognize the name Serenes. It's right here in Begnion - the Serenes Forest. But it's a disgusting swamp, isn't it?" Sanaki's brow is furrowed. "Does a laguz tribe really live there? How did I, the apostle, not know of them?"

Sephiran shakes himself. "Where did you come across this book, my lady? I can't imagine it was in the library..."

"No, there's little information on laguz in the library. I bribed a Crimean merchant to get ahold of this." Sanaki holds up the volume. Lettering on the cover spells out _ Laguz Nations of Tellius. _ "It claims the heron tribe lives in the Serenes Forest. Peaceful wielders of seid magic, rarely seen by beorc."

"Yes…" Sephiran sets aside his paperwork. "They were."

"Were? What happened?"

"They all died, roughly...ah, it would be eighteen years ago now," says Sephiran (as if the date is not etched upon his heart.) "There are none left living." (The last princess lay at his feet as their home burned to ash, and he all but delivered her to Ashnard’s grasp.)

"What happened?" Sanaki repeats, leaning forward. "What dreadful calamity wiped out an entire nation?"

"The Senate would not want me to tell you."

"Goddess damn the Senate!"

"Lady Sanaki! Language."

"...That was uncalled for. I apologize." Sanaki looks ashamed, bowing her head. "But Sephiran, please. I must know what fate befell the heron tribe. I _must."_

"Why must you?"

"They are our neighbors," says Sanaki quietly, looking down at the book in her lap. "Or were. This tragedy...there is no way Begnion doesn't know of it. Why is it hidden?"

Sephiran watches her.

"You say the Senate does not want me to know," says Sanaki slowly. "Does that mean...did Begnion have a hand in whatever happened? Did Begnion wipe out an entire people? Sephiran! I have to know. I cannot bear not knowing!"

"Knowledge will bring you no relief," says Sephiran solemnly.

"I care not for my relief! I care about the truth! I am the Apostle, and this is my duty!" Sanaki's face is pale, her voice trembling with emotion. "I will not live a life of ignorance, secluded away. I will do what is right! I swore that I would!"

"...Very well." Sephiran folds his hands on the desk. "But it is not a happy story."

"I suspected it would not be."

"Your book is correct. The heron tribe resided for many an age in the Serenes Forest. Though it was a young nation, that forest had been their home even back when the goddess walked the earth."

Sanaki leans forward, hanging on to every word.

"Begnion doesn't care much for the laguz, as you know, Apostle. But the late Apostle Misaha…" Sephiran swallows as if collecting himself, "...she did. And she was the one who was finally able to overcome the Senate and outlaw laguz slavery in Begnion, imposing the harshest possible penalties on rulebreakers."

"I know this part," says Sanaki quickly. "But what does that have to do with the herons?"

"Close to twenty years ago, Misaha was assassinated," says Sephiran, his voice as stiff as he feels, his emotions sealed away and firmly in check once more. "And the people of Begnion were devastated. They searched for someone to blame...and their eyes found the herons."

"Was it really the herons?"

(Certainly not.) "I, myself, do not believe so, Apostle."

"But then what?"

"The people of Begnion...took what they believed to be justice into their own hands," says Sephiran. "They stormed the forest of Serenes, and set it ablaze. For three days and nights, the fire raged...and those herons whose lives were not claimed by smoke and flame were murdered by steel at the hands of the populace. There are no herons known to have survived."

Sanaki's face has become a mask of horror.

"In three days, the herons of the goddess's beloved forest were no more. At the hands of commonfolk, ordinary people, the shopkeepers and merchants and farmers of Begnion."

"Did...did they face justice?" Sanaki whispers. "For what they did?"

"No. The entire incident was never publicly acknowledged by the Senate. Rather, it was hidden away...hidden, but never forgotten. The people know what they did, Sanaki. Many even regret it. But they possess not the courage or the integrity to face what they have done."

"Monstrous…" Sanaki breathes. "Truly monstrous…"

"That is the truth of the Serenes Massacre, and the end of the heron tribe," says Sephiran. "The darkest secret of Begnion."

Sanaki is staring down at the book in her lap. Her shoulders are shaking.

"My lady?"

"Unforgivable…" Sanaki's voice is less than a whisper, and Sephiran must lean forward to hear it. "Un..._unforgivable!"_ Her hands curl into fists, slamming down onto her lap, still hunched forward, her voice rising. "How - how dare they! How _dare_ they do such a thing! Such a crime, such a heinous act, it cannot - it cannot be forgiven!"

"Sanaki…"

Sanaki's head jerks up. Tears are streaming down her face, but her voice is clear. "Begnion did this! They wiped out an entire nation - an entire people! And they made no amends! They hid it away! How could they do this? How dare they do this?"

"People can be monstrous, my lady. Such is the truth of - "

"Truth is no excuse!" Sanaki jumps to her feet, book falling to the floor, and turns to pace the room. "This deed is too horrific for words! And they hid it from me! Me! Their empress! Had I known, I would have - "

"What, my lady? What would you do?"

Sanaki freezes.

"If you were to punish all involved in the massacre...well over half of Begnion's people would be lost. The true assassin of Apostle Misaha was never found."

"I…" Sanaki trembles. "I…"

"Justice cannot be found here, my lady." Sephiran folds his hands on his desk. "Simply because you wish it to be so, because you feel it is right...that is not enough. The cycle of hatred that keeps man killing...it is not so simple to break."

Sanaki's hands curl into fists beneath her robe. "You think so, Sephiran?"

"What?"

"Perhaps...perhaps there cannot be justice," Sanaki mumbles, staring resolutely at the wall opposite. "But perhaps...there can be amends. Somehow, I...I will make amends to the heron tribe. I'll find a way, I swear I will."

"However would you do such a thing?"

"I do not know. I do not know, but I - I shall not merely sit by and accept the way of things. That was not my father's way, or my grandmother's. It is not mine." Sanaki's eyes are blazing. "I will end laguz slavery in Begnion - truly, permanently. I will find a way to make peace with the nations of the laguz. I will - I will put an end to this hatred. And I will never allow Begnion to commit unspeakable atrocities in the name of my foremothers again."

Sephiran stares at her.

"You are correct, Sephiran. Simply wishing for things to be different, dreaming of justice...that is not enough." Sanaki sets her jaw. "So I will put my words to the test. I will find a way to halt the oppression and violence of my people. I will extend the hand of friendship. I will change this world. And should even one heron have lived...I will find them, and I will offer all that I have to ease their pain, and dedicate my life to their protection. For it is the very least one such as I can do."

Sephiran is too speechless to even answer. Sanaki is a small flame, radiant, burning too brightly for any words.

"Sephiran." Sanaki turns to face him for the first time in several minutes. "Will I have your support on this matter?"

"I...Lady Sanaki…"

"This path I have chosen to walk will not be an easy one. The Senate will oppose me. But I am well used to that." Sanaki smiles faintly. "Yet I trust you, Sephiran. Will you help me take this journey to exoneration?"

"Your goals...are noble ones, my lady. But I do not know if they are possible…"

"It matters not," says Sanaki firmly. "No matter how difficult this road I walk becomes...my mind is made up. This is what is right. This is what must be done, for myself, for my people, and for the lost herons of Serenes. And so it is what I shall do. Will you follow me?"

"I will, Lady Sanaki," says Sephiran quietly.

"Thank you." Sanaki picks up her fallen book. "I appreciate you answering my questions, Sephiran. I shall see you later." She nods to him before making her way out of the office.

He stares at the door long after it has fallen shut behind her.

How has she become this? Was this his doing? Or did something of Altina always lurk within her blood?

No, it isn't either, Sephiran thinks. Somehow, without him noticing, the little lady has become a true queen.

\---

"You'll catch a cold out here so late, my empress," says Sephiran, stepping out onto the apostle's private balcony (where he stood with Misaha, so long ago.) "Are you well?"

"Well enough," says Sanaki, rather distantly, her eyes dull as she looks out over the darkened city. "Merely thinking."

"It is…" Sephiran pauses. "The anniversary, is it not?"

"Yes." Sanaki's fingers curl into fists on the balcony. "Five years ago, my parents' carriage overturned on a mountain path and tumbled into a ravine, taking them with it."

Sephiran does not bother offering platitudes or apologies. He knows Sanaki has no use for them.

Sanaki sighs roughly. "To this day, I still see them leaving for that trip. I still recall asking them to stay...just a little longer. I always asked such things. I was selfish in that way. Yet...yet had I known...I would have pleaded harder, selflessness be damned."

"That is an understandable way to feel."

"Yet I cannot turn back the clock. I cannot undo what has been done. All I can do is ensure that the work they left behind for me...is completed. That one day Begnion will be a nation that knows true equality, a nation my grandmother would have been proud of. That is the vow I have made." Sanaki's face is heavy with contemplation. "I know all of this, and yet...and yet I still long to see them. I say 'just one last time' - but I know that would not be enough. For if they were in my arms again...I would never be able to let them go."

Sephiran watches a cricket make a slow path along the balcony rail.

"Do you know something, Sephiran?" Sanaki turns from the balcony to face him. "It has not been so many years since their loss...yet it has now been a good half of my life without them. And I fear...I fear I can no longer remember their faces. I see the paintings of them, but my own memories are muddied. I can recall the silver of my mother's hair, the gold of my father's eyes...but the sound of their voices, their smiles...those are lost to me. Lost to time, and I shall never be able to retrieve them. People say the dead live forever in our memories...yet memories, too, are all too mortal."

Sephiran tears his eyes away from the insect, looking at Sanaki, her skin glowing pale in the moonlight.

"Yet sometimes, when I attempt to picture my father…" A wry smile crosses Sanaki's young face. "I see you instead. Isn't that odd, Sephiran? You do not look especially like him. And yet when I try to call for him...there you are."

Sephiran doesn't answer. He finds he cannot.

"My next request is...childish, and asinine. Yet I cannot help but make it, so I must ask your forgiveness." Sanaki's face hardens slightly. "You'll stay with me forever...won't you, Sephiran? You'll never leave, like my parents did."

"I can't promise such a thing, Empress," says Sephiran gently. "The world is an unpredictable place."

"That's not enough," Sanaki snaps. Her glare is ferocious, burning gold. It is a glare that brooks no argument. It is a glare Sephiran has seen before.

_ Blue eyes, a gaze of steel. _

_ "So you're just running away? Abandoning us? You haven't even held her!" _

_ "This is how it must be. This is safest for her, and for you. For all of us." _

_ "I cannot accept that. If we embrace what she is, then so too will the world. We have the power to change this, Lehran. You are casting aside that power with your cowardice!" _

_ "I have no power at all. And that is why I must go now." _

_ "Feeble excuses from a timid fool." _

_ "Altina…" _

_ "...Very well. I see in your eyes that you cannot be swayed. Only you could ever match my stubbornness." _

_ "Thank you." _

_ "But this is not farewell. When you come back...we'll be waiting for you. No matter how long it takes." _

"Sephiran?"

The world returns to its present state, and Sanaki's glare has become a look of concern. Sephiran blinks. "Ah, I apologize. What is it, my lady?"

Sanaki fiddles with the sleeve of her robe. She looks far younger and more vulnerable than she had only moments before. "I...I don't want to be alone again. I don't want you to leave. Please...promise, as long as you can...you'll stay with me."

"I…" He cannot deny that expression, Sephiran knows. Damn all his plans. Damn the world.

For a moment, for a fraction of a second, for the first time since his home burned around him and his kinfolk lay dead at his feet, Sephiran wavers.

But it is only that fraction of a second, and years of hard-worn stubbornness and suffering force their way over love, as they had centuries before when he left his wife behind, marking the same pattern he always follows. This changes nothing. This means nothing. The world must be judged.

But Sanaki is looking at him with that heart-wrenching expression, and so Sephiran forces a smile onto his face. "Of course, Empress Sanaki. I will always be with you, and serve you loyally, until the very end."

"You promise?"

"I promise." The lie should burn his throat on the way up, turn him to the ash he deserves to be. But his traitorous heart still beats, and his conscience is far too muddied to stay him at this late time. Sanaki smiles and hugs him, and he holds her as he did when she was very small, and that worthless heart feels black and empty as the unfeeling night when his world turned to flame.

\---

"My lord."

"Yes, Zelgius?"

"I hope you do not think this out of turn, but there is a question I must ask of you."

"You may ask me whatever you wish, and I shall decide whether to answer," says Sephiran, lifting his eyes from the report on his desk.

"Very well." Zelgius bows stiffly before dropping his voice an octave. "It is about...the apostle, my lord."

"Yes? What about her?"

"It is merely…" Zelgius grimaces. "I simply wanted to know whether...whether she factors into your plans. My lord."

"So long as she holds power, Begnion will be divided," says Sephiran mildly. "The Senate will overpower her in a direct conflict, but if - _ when_, most likely - such a conflict occurs, she will have both you and myself in her corner, thus preventing her from being crushed entirely. And so even within Begnion, Tellius will know war."

"I understand all of that, I merely - " Zelgius pauses. "Is that why you spend time with her, my lord? To ensure her ideals clash with the Senate's?"

"Truth be told, Sanaki does a wonderful job of that all on her own," says Sephiran. "Lekain does so struggle being outmatched in wit by a twelve-year-old."

"That is true," Zelgius murmurs. "But, my lord - and do forgive me of this is above my station to inquire - "

"Enough apologies, Zelgius. What is it?"

"I merely…" Zelgius swallows. "I wondered if your mentorship with her was merely all for the sake of your plans."

Sephiran smiles. It does not reach his eyes. "What else would it be for?"

"There is something in your eyes when you look at her," says Zelgius. "Some deep affection. Something...like a father's gaze. I - I merely wondered - if it was between her and achieving our goal - "

"Then I would do what I must," says Sephiran. "Yes, I know Sanaki will ultimately stand against me, should she live to that day. And it changes nothing."

Zelgius gives a frustrated sigh.

"Is there anything else?"

"Nothing, my lord."

"I do appreciate your concern," says Sephiran, returning his gaze to his papers. "But Apostle Sanaki, no matter what fondness I may feel for the girl, is merely another tool with which we shall allow Ashera to remake the world. And please rest assured, Zelgius...I will never forget that."

\---

"This will be a fierce battle," Lehran comments, watching the crackle and flash of Yune's magic in the distance. "And a dangerous one."

Altina taps a finger against Ragnell in her belt. Her violet hair glows in the setting sun. "Aren't they all?"

"You know what I mean."

Altina turns to face him, a smile quirking her lips. "Are you frightened for me, Lehran?"

"Of course I am," says Lehran quickly. "And - for the others as well. I do not care for all this loss of life…"

"Of course," Altina echoes. "You will stay back, then?"

Lehran lifts his arms with a self-deprecating smile, his robes rippling in the breeze. "What use would a heron be on the front lines?"

"But you will support us from behind, as always, gentle soul that you are," Altina muses. She reaches up and unfastens something from around her neck. "We would not have been able to come this far without you."

"You give me far too much credit. It is your strength - "

"Shh, Lehran. Learn to take a compliment." Altina takes one of his hands in hers. Her fingers are strong enough to snap his easily, but her touch is as gentle as a lamb's, and Lehran feels his face heat at even that innocent contact, as she curls his fingers apart and places something in his palm, something that shines in the fading sun.

"What is this?"

"The Rudol Gem," says Altina. She does not release his hand. "It is older than I know, passed down through my people for many years. It grants protection to the bearer. I wish for you to have it."

"It is you that will be in danger," says Lehran, hoping she doesn't notice his trembling. "Do you not need this more than I?"

"It is enough for me to know that you are safe." Altina smiles. "That knowledge will be my shield." She reaches up with her free hand, carding her fingers through his hair just over his ear, drawing it back and leaning in close.

Lehran stares ahead, forgetting how to breathe.

"Consider it a promise," she breathes in his ear. "For the future." And then she leans back, smiles, and runs towards the battle.

(Altina keeps her promise, and Lehran goes on to break it.)

\---

When Sephiran breaks Sanaki's heart, crushes it to powder beneath his heel like the monster he is, she does not cry. She only crumbles, slumping to the floor in a heap of robes, eyes staring blankly ahead, and he had prepared to bear her tears and scolding, but nothing is enough to brace him against the dagger that is the utter despair in her face.

The fight that ensues is brutal, champions of Yune against champion of Ashera. The weapons of the Tellius army rip through his body, shred his flesh in a way no object has been able to for endless years, and Sephiran revels in it, embraces the unfamiliar pain and the darkness he knows will come on its heels, and he rises to the challenges in the furious faces of the people he has hurt and wronged. The Serenes herons plead with him, Tibarn goads him, Ike scolds him, the Silver-Haired Maiden gazes at him with her grandmother's eyes, they all call for his blood, and it matters not. Sephiran is weak, he is a coward, and this will be his end, and he welcomes its embrace.

As Ike lifts Ragnell over his head (her sword, _ her sword, _and of course his end would come at its blade, and Sephiran can think of no more fitting end for himself, she was always his undoing) a figure darts between them, and the Radiant Hero freezes.

Sephiran still has tome in hand as Sanaki stands in front of him, but he cannot wield it. He cannot strike her down. He had always known that.

Despite all he said to Zelgius, he cannot harm his granddaughters. He is enough of a monster to end all of Tellius, but somehow not quite enough of one to lay a finger upon them.

"...Sephiran…" Sanaki gulps, and Sephiran forces himself to look at the girl whose world he has crushed. Her hands are shaking on her tome, still glowing faintly blue from Yune's blessing. "Everything you've told me, every time you gave your hand to me, every time you smiled...they were all lies?" She closes her eyes, face tightening with pain and fury. "You're the most appalling fraud I've ever known!"

"No, Lady Sanaki…" says Sephiran gently. "I've actually lied to you very little. What I have done is hold things back. I've also twisted the truth from time to time...but I have only told you one blatant falsehood. That one lie has weighed heavily on me. It makes me hate myself sometimes."

"Sephiran…" Sanaki's eyes open again. She looks lost, alone, afraid, a little girl crying on the meeting room floor.

Sephiran smiles, swallows down everything he feels in order to assure her of one last, genuine truth. "I'll always care deeply for you, my little Lady Sanaki...you are my sun and my moon. I never wished to harm you. Please...you must understand…"

"...No!" Sanaki shakes her head frantically. "Sephiran, no!"

"That is enough," says Sephiran. "Strike me down, Apostle. I threaten your nation. I hold your people hostage in a tomb of stone. You know what you must do."

Sanaki looks down at her tome. Then she lifts her head, looks him in the eye, holds up Cymbeline, and throws it aside. The tome skitters across the floor, and she does not break eye contact.

Sephiran is still watching her as Ike buries Ragnell in his back, and Sanaki’s scream is loud enough to tear through all the barricades around his heart, and as the small girl he loves more than anything still alive in the world runs forward and catches his head, blocking his fall with her own body, he lets his first tears fall in twenty-three years.

He gives Sanaki the Rudol Gem as she cradles his dying form. It was Altina's, after all. It should always have been hers. Sanaki strings it around her neck, clutching it like a child in her trembling hands, and still her eyes are broken, still her face is pale and wounded, still she looks at him as though he has stabbed her, and for all intents and purposes, he has.

"Please forgive me..." The selfish words fall from Sephiran's mouth unbidden. "I'm sorry I...lied to you."

"Sephiran…" A trembling, watery smile crosses Sanaki's face, and she clutches his hand in her free one. "Don't worry. We still have all the time we spent together...nobody can take that away. Nobody."

Smiling for his sake, despite all he has done. She was always too wonderful for him. Too wonderful to have come from him.

He finds himself smiling too, watching her. "Thank you...I'll...be leaving you now. Zel...gius...is waiting." His eyes fall shut. "...Al...ti...na…"

Altina would hate him for all of this, he thinks as the world slips away, as Sanaki's wails tear through what is left of him. But she'll be able to tell him that herself. She's waiting, like she promised, and so is Zelgius. Those thoughts are what comforts him, and the thought that he will never have to see that broken look on Sanaki's face again.

So he believes. But his granddaughters are as stubborn as the woman who began their line, and against his wishes, against his hopes, his eyes open again.

\---

"Ah, you're awake. Thank goodness."

Sephiran blinks, trying to focus up at the canvas ceiling above him. "Where...am I?"

"My tent, at the foot of the Tower," says Sanaki crisply, perched on a wooden stool at his side. "Though Mainal Cathedral is just within reach, my Holy Guard fears allies of the senators may well be lurking in wait. So we're waiting out here while they ensure my castle's security."

"I see."

"Are you well?"

Sephiran doesn't answer. He doesn't have the heart to lie to her again.

"You seemed exhausted, so I let you have your rest," Sanaki continues, unfazed by his silence. "It's been a few hours."

Sephiran sighs. "My lady...what will you do with me now?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"I committed treason, and attempted genocide," says Sephiran dully. "There is no forgiving such crimes. But I cannot be given the death sentence. Only blessed weapons can pierce the goddess's Mantle...and the blessing has faded from you and yours, and Ashunera slumbers wholly once again. She will not awaken for centuries. Centuries that, no matter what may pass, I will live through."

"I know all of that," says Sanaki, waving a hand. "I have already decided on those matters."

"Ah, yes...the tub of rancid butter?"

"I'm afraid I've been forced to put aside that punishment for now."

"Have you?"

"Yes." Sanaki shakes her head. "A waste of perfectly good dairy, and a devil to clean."

"You are ever merciful, my empress."

"Enough of that." Sanaki folds her hands, leaning forward to peer at him intently. "I am removing you from your post as prime minister and revoking your dukedom. You did commit high treason, after all, and bear a hand of responsibility in both the Mad King's War and the War of the Continent. Such things are not seemly of the empress's right hand."

"...Yes. You are entirely right."

"I will tell the people that Prime Minister Sephiran died during the conflict," Sanaki continues. "In some ways, it will have been the truth. 'Sephiran' no longer exists, correct?"

"Correct, my lady."

"The question, however, remained of what to do with you after. Of course, the decision is in your hands. However…" Sanaki's eyes narrow. "I suggest on this matter, you obey your empress."

"What would you have me do?"

"I have spoken at length with the princes and princess of Serenes," says Sanaki. "As soon as is feasibly possible, I will be formally handing control of their homeland back to them. Prince Rafiel, the eldest, intends to return to Hatari sometime this decade - his exact words, without a hint of sarcasm, mind you - so I will be giving the title of Serenes to his younger brother, Prince Reyson, as I have desired to do for three years' time. The Senate will no longer block my path to doing the right thing, and returning the goddess's forest to those it belongs to."

"That is noble of you."

"It is not. It is merely what must be done." Sanaki's face is set and firm. "For all intents and purposes, the forest never stopped being the herons', even after it was so cruelly ripped away - but in the eyes of Begnion, it is our property. So I'll do the affair properly, documents and all. I will also be lending Begnion's military might to guard the forest, and continuing my work to eradicate laguz slavery and oppression in my nation, while forging and continuing peaceful relations with the rest of the continent."

"A great deal of impossible tasks. So, quite the usual for you."

Sanaki smiles. "Yes."

"But my empress...what is it that you are asking of me?"

"That was the other matter I discussed with the herons," says Sanaki. "You will be returning to Serenes with them."

"...What?"

"Prince Rafiel believes that with the three of them together, at their full power, within the sacred forest...they will be able to heal the shattered heart of their father, King Lorezieh, who has been comatose since the massacre. And they believe that, with the added power of their father, they will be able to help and heal you, as well."

"Prince Reyson agreed to this?"

"He did not care for the idea, it is true." Sanaki shakes her head. "But the other two wore him down. I understand a 'sibling vote' was taken."

"Speaking of such things…"

"Micaiah wishes to return to Daein, and continue concealing her birthright. And if that is her desire, I won't stand in her way. As far as Daein goes...King Pelleas has informed me that he will be stepping down as monarch, as he was not in fact Ashnard's son. Another leader will be selected by the people of Daein, and a new bloodline begun. So long as this candidate is dedicated to peace in Tellius, for both laguz and beorc, Begnion will support the selection."

"I have a growing suspicion as to who this new leader will be."

"As do I, but time will tell, yes? You haven't answered me, Sephiran." Sanaki looks him in the eye, gold eyes fierce as ever. "Will you take my offer and travel to Serenes, to recover and heal?"

"What do I have that is worth healing, Lady Sanaki?"

"Don't be a fool." Sanaki's eyes flash. "I will not allow you to crawl into a hole and await your end."

"And why not?" Sephiran can muster no emotion save exhaustion. "Isn't that what I deserve? I betrayed not only Begnion, but all Tellius. I betrayed you."

Sanaki's tone is acidic. "Believe me, I know."

"Then why?" Sephiran cannot stop the trace of anger in his voice. "Why would you keep me from returning to my family, Apostle? Or is tethering me to this life my punishment? If so, it is a cruel one indeed."

"After my parents died, and I was surrounded by none but cold handlers and cruel noblemen...I wanted to give up, too." Sanaki's eyes look far away as she gazes at the tent wall, looking at something Sephiran can't see. "But then you were there. And you were the first person to say a word of true kindness to me in a long time."

"My lady…"

"You taught me what it was to love again. I have met more kind and loving people, made more friends and true allies, in the years since. Sigrun and Tanith, Queen Elincia, Sir Ike...never again have I truly been alone. But...I will never forget what you did for me. You may claim your kindness towards me was a part of your plan, to sow further discord in Begnion. You may claim you did it all to obtain the power to carry out your desires. But I do not believe you." Sanaki's face is cool and calm as she looks back at him. "I told you nobody could take away our time together. And I meant that. Not even you are capable of making me cease to love you, Sephiran."

Sephiran's throat is too tight to speak.

"Now, I do for you what you did for me. You may feel alone, lost in a world that went on without you. But for as long as it takes...I will be there for you. And I will not allow you to give up, to fall victim to despair and loathing once again." Sanaki leans back in her seat. "Is that understood?"

"I…" Sephiran swallows. "I understand...Sanaki."

A smile crosses Sanaki's face. "Thank you. Rest awhile longer. I'll make the last of the arrangements for bringing you to Serenes." She gets to her feet. "Do not worry. No longer must I lean on you to lead my nation. Even in your absence, Begnion will become a greater nation than it ever was before. I will make it so."

"...Sanaki?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

\---

The pegasus lands gracefully at the border of Serenes Forest, two more trailing behind, and all three riders dismount with the same grace. 

The center rider wears bright scarlet armor, and she reaches up to unstrap her helmet, reveling tied-up violet hair and long, dangling earrings. "That flight went well, don't you think?"

Her companions are only solemn-faced in their uniform armor, both bowing as one behind her. The leading rider sighs as she turns away from them.

A young woman with long white wings comes fluttering down from the treetops, landing with a curtsy. "Empress Sanaki! It has been too long."

"It has, Lady Leanne." The scarlet rider returns the bow, smiling. "I fear I've been kept rather busy of late."

"Still, it is always lovely to see you!" Leanne waves cheerfully at the other two riders. "Hello! Welcome to Serenes Forest!"

Both women bow low, but say nothing, their faces stiff.

"Unfortunately, my guards today are of the rather formal sort. Tanith has put the fear of the goddess in them, I believe." Sanaki shakes her head. "But they understand they are not to follow me. You two, go...and socialize. Get to know our neighbors here in the bird tribe a little better, all right? That is by the Empress's order."

Both women salute, and Sanaki nods to them one more time before following Leanne between the trees. They walk a familiar path, the heron princess remaining on the ground in order to keep pace with her guest. Other bird laguz fly over and around them, some calling greetings or nodding. The woods are lively, and the sight brings a smile to the empress's face.

"How is Lord Lorezieh doing?" Sanaki asks as they walk.

"He is tired today," says Leanne. "Though his mind is as strong as ever...he still has some days that are simply too much for him. He much regrets not being able to see you today, but he sends his regards."

"His health must come first, of course. I'm sorry he's still suffering."

"He is not as young as he was," says Leanne. "But we are grateful for every moment he still has with us. Reyson and Tibarn wished for me to greet you as well - they have a conference in Gallia today, so they are unable to be here in person."

"Ah, they've no need to worry. This was rather last-minute, after all," says Sanaki. "And how are you, Leanne? Your grasp of the modern tongue has improved every time we've met."

"I was determined to learn it faster than Reyson did," says Leanne brightly. "It took me about eight years to be fluent, and Tibarn says it took my brother nine. A good record, I think!"

Sanaki laughs. "Of course."

Their path is sloping deeper into the woods; there are fewer laguz flying among the trees here. Companionable silence falls as the woman follow the trail, which eventually leads to a small wooden cottage tucked away in a grove of foliage.

"I will be nearby if you have need of me," says Leanne. "He will be happy to see you, I'm sure."

"How...how is he?" For the first time, there's a note of uncertainty in Sanaki's voice.

"He will be happy to see you," Leanne repeats with a gentle smile, resting a hand on the shorter woman's arm. "His days are still dark, but your visits always bring him light."

"Okay." Sanaki swallows. "Thank you, Leanne."

Leanne pats Sanaki's arm, and Sanaki turns back to the small house, takes a deep breath, and then knocks lightly on the door.

"Leanne?"

"No." Sanaki swallows. "It's me, Sephiran."

"...Ah." A pause. "Come in, of course, my lady."

Sanaki opens the door and slips inside. The one-room cottage is barren but clean, containing only a few pieces of simple furniture, the only real affect being a small bowl of flowers on the windowsill. A figure with black wings sits beside the window, closing a book.

Sanaki takes the chair facing him. They both sit in silence for only a moment before Lehran breaks it. "It is always wonderful to see you."

Sanaki smiles faintly. "And you. Are you well?"

"...Well enough." Lehran glances out the window once more. "Leanne brings me news of your accomplishments. I was surprised to hear of the recent treaty."

"The soldier exchange program with Gallia?" Sanaki nods, smiling. "An idea of the late King Crimea, repurposed for Begnion. I think it will be an excellent opportunity - and as public opinion towards the laguz has thoroughly shifted in Begnion of late, I can confidently say the volunteers will be in no danger. Captain Ranulf has already volunteered himself and his men for the first wave, and Sigrun has selected a few excellent candidates for our end."

"Hm…" Lehran looks very tired, but there is a softness in his eyes as he watches her. "I admit, my lady, I did not think even you were capable of achieving this."

Sanaki puffs slightly with pride. "I have worked diligently this last decade, and at last my efforts are bearing fruit. The laguz slave trade has at last been eliminated, the Serenes forest is safe and in the hands of the unified bird tribe, diplomatic relations with _ every _country - including even faraway Hatari - are strong...there is more to do, of course. These efforts will take the rest of my life. But I am pleased with my current accomplishments, much as I do not wish to rest on my laurels."

"You should be," says Lehran.

"Sephiran?"

"Yes?"

"I did not come here to brag." Sanaki twists her fingers together. "I merely, ah…wanted to see you. Are you well? They are treating you kindly here?"

"As ever," says Lehran. "Most of the bird tribe do not wish to interact with me, which is not unexpected or uncalled for...but Lorezieh and Leanne are kind to me, and I am well cared for."

"You seem to be feeling somewhat better."

"The healing process...will take time." Lehran smiles ruefully. "Longer than your lifetime, I fear, my lady. The laguz are slow to change, after all...as is whatever being it is that I am."

Sanaki reaches across the gap between them to take his hand. "That matters not to me. Whatever you are, however you feel...I shall not abandon you."

"...I know." Lehran rests his other hand over hers. "And I am...forever grateful to you, my lady."

"Grateful?" Sanaki's brows raise. "After I dragged you back to life?"

"I believe the blame for that rests on your sister," Lehran corrects her. "But...while it is true that I have not fully reconciled myself with the idea of living...I cannot deny that you were always the brightest part of these last several years."

"I have struggled with myself," says Sanaki. "Even after I shared the truth with my people, and they accepted me gladly...I am not as strong or as powerful as my sister or my grandmother. It was a difficult truth to reconcile."

"My little lady Sanaki," says Lehran. "Apostle or no...you were always a true heir of Altina."

"And…" Sanaki lifts her eyes. "A true heir of Lehran?"

"No matter your bloodline, you would have been my sun and my moon," says Lehran quietly. "As you always have been."

Sanaki's song fills the air in the next moment, the same soft, warbling lullaby of her childhood, and it does not possess her sister's magic, and it is slightly off-key and a little broken, but somehow, it still heals Lehran's heart, if only slightly. And he does not have the courage to sing along, not yet, perhaps not ever.

But she sings, regardless.

**Author's Note:**

> \- Just clearing things up a bit: In my canon, Sanaki's father is Misaha's only child, and therefore wasn't in line to rule since the Brand and its powers are only present in firstborn daughters. He and his wife were trying to get the Senate to crown Sanaki even though she wasn't an apostle (a fact that as we know was being concealed from the public,) and they got assassinated for it. The backlash over their deaths, however, turned out to be the last straw for the public and the Senate caved, so Sanaki became empress.
> 
> \- Title taken from "Safe and Sound," originally by Taylor Swift.
> 
> \- Thank you so much for reading!


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